Starry Thorns
by Sparkle E. Slugg
Summary: yes ANOTHER girlfallstoME fic, but bear with me. When her need is greatest, a girl falls into another world. Another world poised on the brink of war. What will her role be in this new world, and can she truly leave her old one behind?
1. Thorn's Flight

**disclaimer- no, I don't own any of the Lord of the Rings, or any of the original characters. But should anyone like to send me a check for this, I certainly wont object! **

**Chapter 1 Thorn's flight**

The breath came hard in her throat, coming out in ragged gasps. The street was dark; there wasn't a friendly light anywhere in sight. She ran harder, clutching a ragged black backpack to her chest. Her pursuers were silent, pursuing determinedly afterwards. She shot a glance behind her, and saw the shadows following. She recognized some of them, though it was dark. There was Spike, who had taught her how to use a gun. Behind him was Leo, who she often flirted with when there wasn't any action to be found. Cass was there, she was just a kid, eager to be doing a real job. They had even sent out Dell, who was second only to Rance. She ran, but knew she was going to die. She had been on the other end of some of these chases often enough to know. She was going to die.

She turned back around, a gasping sob tearing out of her. She needed to get clear, needed to get someplace where she could slip away. Before she had turned, she had seen that Dell had already drawn his gun. They were getting impatient, and soon she was going to die.

She whipped around a corner, down between two dark stores holding dark mannequins who ignored the small dark figure in jeans and a thin long-sleeved shirt, running past them, her face twisted with pain, bending the star- shaped scar next to her left eyebrow into an unnatural shape. She heard them following her, heard them relaxing, slowing. She was trapped. She was going to die.

She should have realized. Usually she knew the city by heart, but she had forgotten everything she should have remembered as soon as she heard from Kid that Rance was sending his best to get his money- and to eliminate her. She had inadvertently turned into a dead end. She slammed against the brick wall, not seeing it until she was against it. She whimpered, running her fingers along the brick, muttering under her breath

"please-oh-please-oh-please-oh-please-no, no-please"

She heard soft laughter behind her, and whirled around. The group of shadows filled the space between the tow walls. She was trapped.

"Alright Thorn," It was Spike who spoke. Spike who had been her first teacher, her father, her brother when she had had no one. "How about you hand over the bag"

"Fuck that!" she whispered, her voice sounding harsh and not nearly so carefree as she had hoped it would.

"Come on, Thorn. It's over." That was Leo, his voice soft and intense "just hand it over. You don't have any choice."

She heard the sound of a safety being flicked off. The moon lit up the barrel of the gun in Dell's hand as he raised it to the level of her eyes. Another sob forced its way out of her shaking body as she backed up until she was flat against the wall, trying to somehow vanish, go through the wall and away from the grim faces of those who she had once commanded, learned from, loved.

"Please-" she gasped "Please! Leo-" she reached towards him "Leo, don't do this please! Spike! Spike! You can't do this, it's me, it's Thorn!" She sobbed again "you bastards. Please, please don't do this"

"We aren't the ones doing this Thorn," whispered Dell. She remembered how that voice used to fill her body with sparks, make electicity hum up and down her spine. That voice used to be able to completely control her. Now it only made her feel sick. "You did it," he continued "You did it when you betrayed us." He spat the word 'betrayed'

"Betrayed you! Who's the one-" she stopped, trying to get her breath and stop the incredible pain growing inside her belly from exploding out "who's the one who's getting shot in an alley?" another sob ripped out of her body "Please Dell! Remember, remember-"

He cut her off, laughing slightly "Forget it Thorn. It's over. You should have thought about this before you decided to go against us. Once a Star, always a Star. You should know that." And then he pulled the trigger.

Time slowed down. She felt herself falling backwards, back into darkness. She was dying. She felt the bullet bite into her side; she felt her feet leave the ground as she fell. She knew she was dead. She was dead. They'd killed her. Once a Star, always a Star.

She fell through blackness, stars winking behind her eyes. She didn't feel any pain from the wound where she'd been shot. Shot. They had shot her. She must be dying, because they had found her, and they'd shot her. She held the tattered backpack tightly to her chest. Somehow if she focused on not letting the bag go, it would all be alright. Then suddenly she hit water. Water surged around her, rough and fast. Blood streamed from her side, where Dell had shot her. Dell. Her Dell. And she was dead. The water carried her quickly, wildly. She reached out blindly with the arm not clutching her backpack, and wrapped it around a boulder protruding from the water. She lay there for a moment gasping, hugging the rock to her as close as she could. Slowly she looked down at her side. There was a jagged rip in the fabric of her shirt, and though she couldn't see the mark, the blood floated out around her like a cloud. Foggily she looked up into the angel face of a man, who knelt before her on another rock. He leapt over to the one she held, and placed a hand on her forehead. He said something to her in a language she didn't know. Her vision swam, and he wavered in and out of focus.

"He shot me," She managed to whisper. "I'm dead"

And she spiraled away into blackness.


	2. Middle Earth Tears

**Chapter 2 Middle Earth and Tears**

She awoke with a start, her eyes flying open. For a moment she wondered where she was. And then she wondered how it was possible that she could open her eyes at all. She sat up, and gasped, falling back down. She breathed heavily for a moment, forcing herself to think. You are Holly Waller. You are Thorn. You were hunted down by Dell and other Stars for stealing from Rance and leaving the gang. You were on your way to Officer Brooke's office, but they found you. You should have died. She should be dead. She sat up again, more slowly, and looked around her. She was under a light sheet, lying in a bed that was outside. No. Think, girl, think. She was lying in a bed that was under a roof, but open to the air. Ok. That was better. The ceiling arched above her head, supported by columns carved into shapes of beautiful figures that were alarmingly lifelike. There were other beds in the room. Most of them were empty, but a few beds over laid a small curled figure, who appeared to be sleeping. A beautiful woman in a flowing white dress moved around quietly nearby. And there was a bearded old man dressed in a gray robe sitting at the foot of her bed, watching her.

"Holy shit" she gasped, and fell back down. The old man got up, and moved to sit in the elegant chair by the side of her cot, so he could look into her face. She felt like she was about to throw up all over the lovely white bed, but she tried to growl at him.

"Who the hell are you?"

He smiled at her, a smile that was warm, and somehow knew everything about her. She was suddenly reminded of her _abuelo_, who had raised her and who had died when she was only 12. She realized that she hadn't thought of him in years.

"I am Gandalf the Gray," Gandalf the Gray? What kind of name was that? But she was confused and she hurt, and so couldn't be as defensive as she knew she had to be. He spoke again. "And who are you?"

"Th-," she began, but stopped. There was no reason why she should be Thorn here. She didn't need that name any more, and she really didn't want it "Holly Waller," She paused, looking around her. "Where am I? I should be dead, I should be dead. Dell-" she stopped, feeling her throat fill up

Gandalf spoke. He talked like her grandfather too, his voice rough like sandpaper "You are in Rivendell, in Elrond's care. You were discovered in the river by a scout who went out to investigate the Ford , after Frodo Baggins was discovered there earlier that day. You have been sleeping for a day and a half."

"Rivendell? Elrond? Frodo?" What? She digested the names, searching for some way that they could make sense. "Where the hell am I?" she looked up at him, her eyes filling with tears "I was shot, I should be dead! I- I – I should be dead!" Then she suddenly leaned over and threw up.

Wiping her mouth on the sleeve of her t-shirt, which she still wore, she couldn't stop the tears coursing down her face. If you were a Star, you didn't cry. Even as she was pleading with Dell she didn't cry. Crying was a sign of weakness. But she felt weak. She felt weak, confused, and betrayed. She was supposed to be dead! Why wasn't she? And she was going crazy. Where ever this insane place was, It wasn't anywhere in her city. She was beginning to have a feeling that it wasn't anywhere in her world. She felt a hand on her back and jerked away. She turned on Gandalf, suddenly filled with a white-hot anger.

"Why am I here? What am I doing here?" she shouted at him "I'm dead! I'm dead! There's no place called Rivendell! No one is named Elrond or Frodo or Gandalf! I'm dead!" she dropped her head onto her pillow, and ground her fists into her eyes, angrily trying to rub out the tears. She was too old for this. She was acting like a child, and she hated it, but she couldn't stop.

Gandalf didn't try and touch her again. He watched the young woman, this Holly, fight to stop crying. The healer hovered nearby, looking concerned, but Gandalf shook his head at her. This woman needed to cry. The elf who had been watching the river for the return or Aragorn and the other hobbits and instead found her had reported that she was wounded bleeding heavily, was near unconsciousness, and had spoken only a few words to him - "he shot me," and "I'm dead". She had been through something terrible. It seemed also that she had lived a rough life before then. Her black hair was cut short to her ears, and was uneven and ragged. Her black eyes had seen too much for one so young, and her tan skin was scarred in places. There was also that curious mark by her eyebrow. That could not have been an accident. She was used to battle, and it had changed her. Though he had no idea what it was that had brought her to Middle Earth, perhaps it was the force of her need that had pushed her through time. For it was plain that she was from some place completely outside of anyplace Gandalf had ever been to or heard of.

He noticed that she had stopped crying, and was staring at him through red eyes. They regarded each other for a moment. She searched his face for something. Some sign that he was joking. But his lined face was serious, pensive, and worried. She opened her mouth, and no sound came out. Her eyes closed, her face falling. Keeping her eyes shut, she repeated her question. "Gandalf…why am I here?" she opened her eyes and they were empty. I am not at home, she thought hazily. I am as far from home as I've ever been. I can't get much farther then where I am now. I'm alive. And I'm stuck, in a bed, shot, with an old name whose last name is 'the gray'. But I'm alive.

Holly lay in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She wasn't crying anymore, and she wasn't angry. She was just thinking. Gandalf had long since gone to sit beside the other occupied bed, leaving her to think over what had happened. One thing was certain. She was alive. Somehow she had survived, and fallen into some river that was very far away from the alley where she'd been shot. She turned her head to look over at the gray robed back of the 'wizard', who was sitting quietly smoking a pipe. She still didn't understand what he had told her

"Holly Waller," he had began, looking slightly grumpy and squinting at the air above her head. "I don not know how you came to be here. I have heard and seen many things, but nothing that could explain how a frightened and hurt women could fall from your world into Middle Earth. I do think though, that perhaps for a moment a portal of some type opened in the exact place and time where you were between your world and ours. But that is only a guess on my part. Perhaps it was merely the fear and need that brought you here. I do not know." He stopped, waiting for her to respond. Holly sighed slightly, and winced. It hurt her. She looked up at him.

"Middle Earth. That's where I am."

"Yes. Middle Earth, October the 21st, the year 3018, the third age…"

"…In Elrond's house. Yes. I know." Suddenly she had felt so tired. Every moment since Kid had run into their apartment breathless, shouting that Rance had heard that she was going to go to the police, and he knew that his money was missing, she had been completely panicky, on edge, and scared out of her mind. Now she didn't need to be on edge anymore, and she could feel her body shutting down.

Gandalf had risen then. "You need to rest. The healers here have mended your wound, even though the source was unknown to them. But you will live." He leaned down until his long nose was three inches away from Holly's, and he laid a hand on her shoulder. She didn't shy away. "You will live" he repeated. Then he had stood up and gone to the other bed.

Holly turned her head away from Gandalf, and stared up at the ceiling. She knew she would fall asleep eventually. She could feel the exhaustion weighing down her body, but she had to think. She wasn't home. She couldn't ever go home. The sudden unexpected grief she felt surprised her. She hadn't particularly loved her life. It had been harsh, and cruel, and hard. But there were good things about her life she could never have again. She knew if she thought about them, she would start to cry again, and she tried to fight against the memories. But they came in anyway. Her _abuelo_, her apartment, Kid, hamburgers, jeans, and then she was crying again. She didn't try and stop, she just kept thinking of things she'd never do again. She'd never go to Times Square, she'd never listen to the radio, she'd never go shopping, she'd never eat in a restaurant, never see another movie…

Away at the other bed, Gandalf looked away from Frodo, and watched the shaking form of the human girl until her sobs stopped and she fell into a deep sleep.


	3. Imladris

Disclaimer- No, i don't own any of Lord of the Rings...sigh... but I won't mind if anyone want to pay me for this! looks around eagerly

**Chapter 3 Imladris**

Holly woke up sore. Her side was stiff, and the thick cloth bandage someone had put over it irritated her. Her eyes felt puffy from crying, and she felt grubby and deeply depressed. Somehow didn't feel any better about being alive. Somehow she felt cheated. She had gotten ready to die, and had felt that it was due to her, in a way. Being yanked away from what she knew was inevitable was... but she had woken up, andhadn't started to cry. That felt promising, especially after the day she'd had. The room was deserted, except for the other invalid. A lovely golden light came in through the open walls, bathing everything in an ethereal light. Rivendell. The name itself stirred something in a romantic part of Holly's being that she didn't know she had. She wanted to see more of it.

Gingerly, she eased her frame out of the bed. Someone had taken away her shoes. Halfway through vaguely searching under the bed she suddenly straightened, as if remembering something,and turned to the other side of the bed. The black backpack was there. Sighing, she swept it up into her arms. She hugged it to her chest for a moment like a kid would hold a teddy bear, then zipped it open. Yes. Everything was still there. The bills in their plastic grocery bag were soggy, but still intact. She had managed to grab a few things before she ran. She had her book, a cell phone (useless now), a notebook, blank except for Officer Brooke's address scribbled inside it. She also had packed a few pairs of underwear, a black sweater, her old passport (also useless) and a black felt-tipped pen, which had been ruined by the river. She hadn't really had time to pack anything else. She had only been planning to get to the police station, and then maybe to an airport. Had she known she'd be swept away to some other crazy world she'd have brought so much more. Like maybe her mother's diary. Her high school yearbook. More clothes. Aspirin. What she had brought was ridiculous. Even the money was stupid. What could she use it for? She shook her head silently, and dropped the bag onto the bed. She was going to explore. That was her plan. _OK, Holly? You've got a plan_. She walked slowly, trying not to move too much. She passed the occupied bed, and paused. She hadn't yet seen who it was. Walking slowly up to the side of the bed, she carefully drew back the sheet a little, to look into the figure's face. It looked like a boy, with soft features and curly brown hair. But he was obviously very sick. His face was scarily pale, and there were odd greenish discharges around his eyes and mouth. As Holly watched, he turned and whimpered, his face shiny with sweat. He whispered something, his face twisting in fear, but then he relaxed, and turned away from her. She stood watching his back silently. He wasn't a child. He didn't have a child's face. But he was so...small. She felt a wave of nausea sweep through her. Where the hell was this Middle Earth?Someone shifted slightly in the door frame behind her. Eyes still on the little man in fascinated shock, she spoke to them "Who is he?"

Gandalf moved up next to her. "His name is Frodo Baggins. He was carrying something to Elrond, and was injured on Weathertop by the Lord of the Nazgul.He left his companions and was brought here by Arwen, Lord Elrond's daughter. The wound was poisonous, and he fights it now. Elrond himself is ministering to him, and only here could he be healed. He nearly died."

Holly ran a finger along her left eyebrow.She felt more then a little overwhelmed. She hadn't understood half of what Gandalf had said."What is he? He's not…a person, is he?"

"No. He is a hobbit. A Halfling. They are a race of rustic folk who live in a place called the Shire. Usually they grow to be about 4 four feet high at most."

"Oh. I thought he was just a boy," she stopped, thinking. She looked up at Gandalf, eyes narrowed. "What was he carrying?"

Gandalf regarded her for a moment, his gray eyes unreadable. "It is not to me to tell you."

Holly watched him, then sighed and turned away. "OK. Fine." If the old man didn't want to tell her what the...hobbit was carrying, then he could keep his secrets. But something in Gandalf's face and in the hobbit himself bothered her. But she couldn't place what it was. Pushing this feeling out of her mind, she hobbled past Gandalf. "Then I'm going to go for a walk." She turned and shot him a defiant look, waiting for him to forbid her.

Gandalf stroked his beard, trying not to smile. "May I accompany you? I would like to here about your world, and perhaps can tell you something of our world."

They wandered along beautiful hallways and rooms, all open to the woods around them. Gandalf told her about Middle earth, some of its history and geography, old alliances, and the races that populated it. Holly listened intently. It was like something our of a fantasy book. Elves and dwarfs and dragons. When he had exhausted all his stories of Middle Earth, Holly told him about her Earth, about her life. She didn't mention the Stars. She kept strictly to stories from when she was young, pets she'd had, movies she'd seen, favorite foods, colorsshe'd dyed her hair,books, anything and everything. Gandalf had had a lot of trouble picturing soda cans, but he got it eventually. Kinda. She had just begun talking about school, and about an evil Spanish teacher she'd had in freshmand year, when Gandalfcut her off.

"What is that mark by your left brow?"

Her hand leapt up to the star shape almost unconsciously. She kept her eyes lowered as she ran over the shape with her index finger, trying to think of some lie to give him. But none came. Thinking grumpily how overall weird this old man was, she sighed slowly.

"It was part of my initiation." She looked over at Gandalf, hoping that that would be enough. It wasn't. He was still peering at her. She rolled her eyes, and looked away. "When I was 15, I made friends with a guy in my Home Ec. class. His name was Rance, and it was..." she stopped, amiling slightly "So easy to talk to him. He knew how Id lived, because, well, he lived that way too. He told me about a place where I could live, and have a family. I didn't really have a home. I'd lived in a few foster homes after my _abuelo_ died, but just then I wasn't anywhere. Well, this guy, he had a mark like mine. Just by his left eyebrow. And one day he took me out of school to see another man, a member of a gang called the Stars." She took a deep breath, feeling the hurt in her side. "So a month later, I was a Star. They ruled nearly a quarter of the city that I lived in. I… This was what let me in. I got it when I became an active member. It was one of the ways I had to prove myself. All Stars had one." She stopped, aware that Gandalf was staring at her intently. "What?"

"You were initiated into some sort of tribe?"

She hissed to herself, running a hand through her short hair. "No. A gang. It's called a gang." She looked away, trying not to think about it. The nine years since that day when Spike had cut the star into her skin were all so exciting, so great. Now she felt sick thinking about them.But then thatcould just be an after affect of getting shot.

She didn't see Gandalf's eyes soften as he watched her. She didn't see how he almost made to touch her arm, but drew back. She was too busy remembering… remembering that night.

"Were these men the ones who…" Holly looked at him sharply, but his eyes were trained straight ahead as he walked. She stopped, her head suddenly hurting.

"Yeah," She whispered. "It was them." Gandalf stopped too, and turned towards her. It was funny, she was nearly as tall as he was, since he was so hunched over, but he seemed to be much much bigger then she was. And she…there was no other way of saying it, really. She trusted him.

"I was going to leave, I really was. But I had gotten in so far…I was nearly second in command. Even as a kid, I knew what I would have to do to get power. Do the right job, side with the right people; sleep with the right people, until I was in the inner workings of the Stars. Rance was even better at it then I was, but when he got to be boss, he helped me out. Nostalgia, he said." She waved her hand, shaking her head. She was barely aware of Gandalf anymore. "I don't know why I decided to leave…" Yes she did. Footsteps, a slam, moonlight on an empty pillow, Ben. "But I did. I knew that I couldn't stay in anymore, not in that life. Flying by the seat of my pants wasn't the hot shit I thought it was when I was 15." She was saying**way** too much, butshe couldn't stop. "And I was getting older too! Old for the Stars anyway. Not too many people made it past 30. I wanted something like a real life. Maybe finish my education, get a real job."She closed her eyes. Yeah. She could sure finish her education here, right? God, what was she **doing **here?

"I know it was insane, but I didn't just want to get out…I wanted….I wanted revenge." Gandalf frowned, but Holly kept talking. "I knew that the police were after Rance, that they had some shadowy claims against him, but nothing major. I went to the Police station, and told them what I could. Which was plenty. I had had anactive role in most of it. They had a file against me too, against all of us, really, but they said they'd dismiss my caseif I told them.But even though I told them all I could, they needed more, something concrete, that they could really use against him. So I agreed to stay, until Rance asked me to do something that I could take to the police and get him nailed. He did, and I did it, but someone knew. Someone knew I had been to the police, and they told Rance. Hehad knownthe whole time."

Gandalf watched her faceice over, going cold on theinside.Her softfeatures hardened into a tough shell.An impenetrable force. But the tattack was from her won memory.

After a long moment Holly's face relaxed, and she rubbed a hand over her eyes. "So I did this job, and I was getting ready to go to the station, when my roommate ran in…"Kid. Oh God. What if Rance found out he had told her they were coming? She was so tired, and her side hurt. It seemed like they'd been all over Rivendell, talking. She shrugged. "So they hunted me down. I was running, and they caught me." she really didn't want to begin to think about that. She turnedher eyes to Gandalf, and hesaw the pleading hurt in them.He nodded, and she sighed, turning around and walking again. Gandalf walked beside her, not saying anything. His bushy eyebrows were pulled tight over his eyes, and Holly couldn't read his expression.Angrily, she wrapped her arms around her waist. _No, she wasn't a good girl. _she thought, tightening her arms. _But if the wizard had expected her to be, appearing in a river with half a million dollars in cash and a gun wound, then he was old and senile._ She had talked way too much. That was what it was. That was what happened when you met an old man who looked just a little bit like your Grandpa. You ended up telling him practically your whole life story, and then he'd get shocked. _Well, duh. _On top of being tired, she had talked herself into a very bad mood. Gandalf led her back to the 'infirmary' insilence, where the healer, who Holly now knew was an elf, changed her bandage. Gandalf left to go wait with the other elves for some guests in the entrance, and Holly laid awake for hours, trying as hard as she could to think of elves and dwarves and dragons, until she finally drifted off.


	4. deja vu

**Disclaimer- No, I don't own any of Lord of the Rings. I just make stuff up and…hem hem borrow generously from the book sand movie. But it's not copyright infringement! Really, it's not! Right?

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**Chapter 4 hmm…how familiar…**

_She was running, running down a dark street. Her feet hit hard, cold cement and she stumbled, nearly falling. She looked around her, taking a moment to figure out where she was. Then how this scene was familiar slammed into her, and she stumbled. No, no! She had finished this! She had escaped, and gone to Middle Earth- and- and- she looked behind her, the gasping sob rising in her throat. There they were, the shadowy figures, not speaking, just following. No! She wasn't here! She couldn't be! She saw the alley ahead and turned. She had to get back! She couldn't be here! She had to get back to Middle Earth, and Gandalf, and elves, and hobbits, and…and… She ran blindly, trying to keep herself calm. You're dreaming Thor-**Holly**. Holly, you're just dreaming. Soon you'll wake up in Rivendell and be far away from Dell and Rance and…and… she was having trouble keeping her thoughts straight. Turning around a narrow corner, she saw the brick wall. Half relieved, half scared shitless, she ran to it, throwing her full weight against it. It hurt. A lot. In dreams, things weren't supposed to hurt. No! NO! _

_She ran her fingers over the wall, hoping to trigger some sort of reaction, a switch, or a door, or something. _

"_Gandalf," she murmured, half laughing, half sobbing "hey, Gandalf, take me back, **please** take me back-"_

_A low laugh came from behind her. Slowly, trying to tell her quivering nerves that she was dreaming, she turned to face them. It was a nightmare, but it would end. It would. It would. It had to. _

"_Alright Thorn," Spike said "How about you hand over that bag?"_

_Oh shit, it was all the same._

"_F-Fuck that" she stammered. She was going to throw up, she knew it. _

"_Come on Thorn, it's over" Leo whispered. "Just hand it over. You don't have any choice."_

_Dell tilted his head to the side, his dark eyes glinting in the soft moonlight. He was just loving this. He was just loving to watch her squirm, trapped and doomed in a corner._

_Suddenly she couldn't take it. She would not beg and plead and cry again, throwing herself down on her knees to **him**. Not even sure of what she was doing, she suddenly bent down and launched herself into Dell's chest. Surprised, he tumbled backwards with a grunt, landing heavily. She tumbled over him and up, trying to force her way through the press of bodies. They were too solid, and reached out, trying to grab her. She dropped the bag and lashed out with her fists, hitting at random anyone who got too close. Her ears seemed to have given out. She could see the Stars shouting and calling to each other, but somehow couldn't hear them. They were drowned out by the furious roaring that filled her head. One Star fell, clutching a broken nose. Another reeled away, sent down by a kick to the stomach. _

_Suddenly she smiled and almost laughed. Maybe she could do this! She could escape, get away after all. She fought even harder, the way out to freedom becoming clearer and clearer. Then something hard, heavy, and metallic smashed into the back of her head, the blow sending her to her knees, causing stars to wink before her eyes. _

_Everyone instantly backed up, clearing a circle around her. She groaned, putting her hands to the back of her head, fighting to stay conscious. Dell walked slowly around to face her, his gun held loosely in his hand. The bastard. How could she have forgotten about Dell? She must really be panicky; she usually fought better then this. She slowly raised her head, trying to stare him in the eye, even though he swam in and out of focus. _

"_Man, Thorn," he laughed, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully. His voice rose uncontrollably as he spoke, ending in a half shout, spoken to the others around them. "I knew you were crazy when I heard that you had sold us all out to the cops," Then he turned back to her, his voice softer. "But I never knew you were this crazy." He knelt, so that he was level with her face, his dark eyes boring into hers with the same intensity that used to render her completely helpless. His voice was deceptively calm. "I was just going to kill you, but now you've **really** pissed me off. So I'm going to just take my time. Is that OK with you?" He raised his hand, and put it on her neck, just where her neck and shoulders met. His thumb moved lazily up and down, gently rubbing her skin, damp with sweat. His eyes never left hers._

_Fully aware of the wonderfully corny cliché of it, Holly gathered up all the moisture in her mouth and spat in his face. In an instant, she was on the ground, and he was on top of her, slapping her so hard that by the time she had cleared her head, he was hitting her again. She tried to push him away, tried to fight back, but he knocked her hands aside easily. She felt the blood streaming down her nose, and could hear the voices of the gang, jeering and shouting. Dell was silent. He just kept on hitting her. She felt a cut open above her eyebrow, and his fist slammed into her left eye. She squinted up at the sky, little white lights winking down at her. Dell let out a small grunt, and she turned her eyes to him. He was grinning. Oh my God, she managed to think, this is worse then being shot. Just kill me, Dell. Just do it. Hate more pungent then anything she'd ever felt filled her. Her heart beat double time, and filled up with a dark heat that spread to her whole body. Her skin crawled, and her hands itched to fasten around his neck, his arms, any place where she could hurt him. She saw red. The sky behind Dell's shoulder was red, not a sign of stars or sky. The sky was on fire. Dell laughed softly, then his laughter grew into a hideous, growling, harsh, and inhuman laugh. The fire swirled, condensing into an oval-like slit. It was an eye, like a cat's eye, made out of flame. The laughter was coming from the eye. The fire from the eye slowly reached out, burning away the laughing gang members, then burning away Dell until it was just her and it…_

"Hold her down! She'll hurt herself further!"

"_I…see…you" the eye teased, its voice a rough growl that sent cold shivers down her back. She clapped her hands over her ears, but the laughter was all around her, **inside** her, inside her head. _

"_You cannot hide" She tried to scream, but couldn't hear herself over the sound of fire and its voice. There was nothing between her and it, no where to go, and it was coming closer and closer. The heat became so intense she felt like she was going to burn away too. Holly pushed herself back hurriedly, trying to get away from that horrible eye and the horrible laugh. She was almost insane with terror, incapable of thinking anything except for an urgent, piercing scream which reverberated around inside her skull. She bumped up against the brick wall, and the eye drew closer and closer, still laughing, laughing…_

Holly awoke screaming, fighting for breath. She couldn't see, she could only feel hands pinning her down, shouting around her. Her vision cleared, and she was looking into the dark face of a man with a black stubbly beard and hair who was **sitting** on her, his face only a few inches away from hers. She screamed and jammed the heels of her hands into his eyes. He rolled off her, clutching his face, and Gandalf suddenly took his place. She lashed out, and grabbed the sleeve of his long gray robe, twisting it in her hot fist.

"Gan- Gandalf!" she panted, "Gandalf!" she turned her head wildly, looking around for the eye, still feeling the burning heat on her skin, not feeling the cool of night in Rivendell or the hands that pinned her to her sweat soaked sheets. "Alley. Dell. Fire! It! Eye! The Eye!" She twisted madly, still trying to escape. Gandalf stiffened, but then laid a hand over her eyes. She felt coolness spread out from his hand, and slowly her breathing slowed, and the all-consuming fear lessened. She stopped writhing, and her heart slowed to its normal pace.

Gandalf removed his hand, and knelt down beside her. He peered intently into her face, she turned away, nervous and panting slightly, but her took her chin and turned her face to his. She stared into his old eyes for a moment, until he sighed, and straightened, releasing her. Gently, he worked her hand off his robe.

"Fuck…Fuck…I'm…I'm sorry Gandalf. I had a," she faltered, remembering that terrible vision "a nightmare." Gandalf still stared at her. Nervous, she started talking, half aware of what she was saying "I was running, and I was back in the alley, back home, before I came here, and, and, I thought it was just a dream, but then I hit the wall and it hurt like hell, and it seemed so real, and then Dell was there, and I got scared and tried to run, and then he was beating me, and I was bleeding, and then I **hated** him, and the sky turned red, and- it was an eye!" Gandalf looked over at someone who was standing behind her bed as she said this, but she couldn't stop to question it. "and, and it burned up Dell and all of them, and it was so hot, and it laughed, and came closer, and closer" She stopped, knowing that if she talked anymore she'd either throw up or start crying again. She wiped her face with the back of one hand, not meeting his gaze.

Gandalf looked back at her, trying his best to look fatherly and comforting. "It was a dream, Holly. You are safe here. The men in your world cannot find you or hurt you anymore."

She shuddered, and looked away. The man she'd hit sat on the bed next to hers, kneading his eyes with a bemused smile on his face. He was dressed in black leather armor with a black cloak and hood which partly hid the scabbard at his side. His black hair hung down a little past his chin, and he was maybe thirty at the oldest. His face was scarred, but the hurts had been healed a long time ago. Holly wouldn't have been able to see the scars if she hadn't known so much about scars. He dropped his hand, and regarded her. His blue eyes were startling, and she couldn't place why. Feeling that she had to say something, Holly opened her mouth.

"You were on top of me."

He raised his eyebrows, and smiled slightly. "I suppose I was. But you were in such terror that the healers feared you would do additional injury to yourself," he nodded to her in some kind of salute, and laid his right hand over his heart "I am Aragorn, Son of Arathorn."

She nodded. "I'm Holly Waller… Daughter of Malcolm Waller." He nodded solemnly, still smiling. She turned away, pissed off and almost embarrassed. She looked up at Gandalf, who was also smiling. Ignoring him and not looking at Aragorn, she addressed Gandalf.

"Is he the one you've been waiting for?" Gandalf nodded. "So he's with Frodo?" Gandalf nodded again. She looked around "Has he woken up yet?"

Gandalf sighed. "No. Not yet. We will redouble our efforts to heal him," He sighed slightly, and shook his head. Looking up, he smiled slightly. "Tonight you may leave this room, and have a room of your own. The healer informs me that your side is fully healed." Gandalf rose, and turned to leave. Aragorn got to his feet also, and went to his side. They started to leave, when Gandalf turned as if suddenly remembering something, and paused. He seemed to be arguing something over in his head. Then,

"Lord Elrond will be holding a council as soon as Frodo awakes and the delegations of Men, Elves, and Dwarves arrive. It is the wish of myself and Lord Elrond that you should attend. Your arriving at this time cannot be an accident. The council will have much to discuss." He turned, and walked out with Aragorn, their heads bent together, talking intently. Suddenly completely exhausted, Holly fell back against her pillows and fell fast asleep. If she had any dreams, she couldn't remember them.

* * *

**Hey there! I just need to thank immortalwizardpirateelf-fan for catching my mistake in chapter 2- the year is not 1042 of the Second Age- it's 3017 in the Third Age. Bad Slug! Bad! But my eternal thanks to immortal wizard. Sorry for the screw-up. **


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